Two siblings facing felony child abuse charges for allegedly caging their siblings beneath beds appeared in court Wednesday, requesting reductions to their bonds.
Dallin and Liberty Griffeth are charged along with their parents, Brian and Jill Griffeth, after nine underage children reported extreme punishments and being locked under their beds.
Court Proceedings
Dallin appeared first. His attorney told Judge Garrett Hill that prosecutors agreed to lower his bond from $500,000 to $10,000.
“Without editorializing too much, there’s levels of culpability in this case,” said Assistant State Attorney Madison Hodge. “The parents are obviously the main culprits.”
Judge Hill deemed $10,000 too low and set Dallin’s bond at $150,000. Liberty’s bond was reduced to $100,000 when she appeared in court.
Defense Requests
Liberty’s attorney, Bobi Frank, requested access to interviews conducted by the state’s Child Protection Team (CPT) with the children. Prosecutors cited privacy concerns and withheld the recordings.
“I can’t do my job at all right now. I’m handcuffed,” Frank said. “They hold all the cards, but they don’t want to give those cards to me so I can properly defend my client.”
Hodge argued that some interviews contained allegations of sexual abuse unrelated to Liberty’s case and should remain confidential.
“There’s no relevant materials as far as any evidence that would support the crime,” Hodge said.
Frank countered:
“With all due respect, the state doesn’t get to make unilateral decisions as to whether something is material to my defense or my client. The proper mechanism is for the court to make that determination.”
Prosecutors agreed to release three interviews immediately. Judge Hill will review the rest privately to decide if they should be shared with Liberty’s defense.
Next Steps
Both Dallin and Liberty are expected to return to court in October as their cases move toward trial.
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